chain lines ( chain marks )
The widely spaced watermark lines, about 25 mm
apart, parallel to the shorter sides of a sheet of
laid paper, caused by the "chain wires," i.e., the
wires to which the finer laid wires of the MOLD (1) are attached
for support. They usually correspond to the
position of the bars or ribs of the mold to which
they are often fastened. Occasionally, the shadow
of the rib can be seen on either side of the chain
line. Generally the chain lines run vertically in
the leaves of a folio, horizontally in a quarto,
and again vertically in an octavo. Sometimes, in
the late 17th and early 18th centuries, this rule
is reversed because of the use of a split sheet,
or the use of a double mold, resulting in "turned
chains." (69 , 136 , 225 )
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